Multi-homed WINS Server Replication Partner Failures

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.5 and 3.51
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.5 and 3.51

SYMPTOMS

After setting up replication between multi-homed WINS servers, some data may not replicate properly and the following error may be logged in the event log:

   Event 4102: "Connection was aborted by remote client".

CAUSE

When configuring replication partners, only one IP address may be entered for a given partner. If you attempt to add another IP address for the same replication partner, WINSADMN realizes that this is the same system as the one previously already entered, and switches the IP address in the list to the one that the WINS server is bound to on the remote machine.

However, when replication actually occurs, Windows Sockets is the interface used. The outgoing pull request uses socket()/bind()/connect() calls, and on the bind it specifies INADDR_ANY. This means that the outgoing call can be sourced from any IP address on a computer. If it's sourced from any IP address other than the one that the WINS server is bound to, replication fails. The event log will contain "Connection aborted by remote client." The replication fails because the WINS server being contacted compares the source address of the incoming request to its list of authorized replication partners.

RESOLUTION

WINSADMN.EXE (the WINS manager) has been modified to allow each IP address on a multi-homed machine to be entered as a replication partner on the other machines it replicates with. Each IP address should be entered as a replication partner on all machines that will replicate with a multi- homed computer.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.51. This problem was corrected in the latest Windows NT 3.51 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

   S E R V P A C K